In December, Sandia National Laboratories announced the appointment of Bob Hwang as the new director of the Transportation Energy Center, which includes the Combustion Research Facility (CRF). Bob Carling, who served as director of the Transportation Energy Center from 2008 to 2013, retired in December after 37 years at Sandia.

Bob Hwang began his Sandia career in 1991 as a staff member at the California site, following a year in Germany as a recipient of a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers. At Sandia, he has managed materials programs funded by the DOE Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program; been a detailee to DOE Office of Science BES; and served as senior manager and director in the Energy, Climate, and Infrastructure Security strategic management unit. Bob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Maryland.

“While very different programmatically, the CFN, CINT, and CRF are similar in that they are science-based facilities with a clear mission for collaboration and outreach,” he says. “Unlike users of instrument-based facilities, people seek out the CRF for the top-notch science and deep staff expertise.”

One of Bob’s goals is to support and strengthen Sandia’s long-standing expertise in combustion. “For many years to come, combustion will be a foundational technology for transportation,” he explains.

Bob believes that the role of Sandia’s Transportation Energy Center on the global stage will continue to grow. “We are already doing this, especially in combustion and hydrogen, through collaborations with car companies like Daimler AG and Toyota and participation in international forums like the U.S.–China Clean Energy Research Center Clean Vehicles Consortium,” he says. “Other countries are facing many of the same challenges and are considering many of the technologies and solutions that we are already working on. I think we can play a significant role in not just developing these technologies, but also helping to strengthen US leadership in these areas.”